Liam fell on it with a ravenous growl that pulled at things in my core. Or maybe that was because of the way his gaze remained fixed on me like a starving man looking at his first meal after an eternity of deprivation. It seemed to say that he couldn’t wait until it was me under his fangs.
Shivers of arousal moved down my spine. The masculine look on Liam’s face sending a heady wave of desire through me.
“I see it won’t be a problem after all,” Joseph quipped, picking up on the rising tension between us. “My part here is done. Ensure he feeds from all the enforcers before moving on to Aileen.”
Thomas touched my elbow as Joseph gathered his bloody instruments and departed. “You should come with me.”
I hesitated, not wanting to leave Liam’s side. “What about him?”
Seeing me next to Thomas, Liam’s gaze grew more possessive. A growl warned of his unhappiness as he pulled Daniel’s arm more fully toward him.
“This is going to take a while, and it may be best for his control if you’re not here in the meantime,” Thomas said.
I could see what he meant. Rather than helping, my presence seemed to be a source of agitation to Liam. If I remained, there was a chance he would get more volatile and hurt himself.
I nodded my understanding and followed Thomas out with one last look at Liam. A crash came the second I stepped outside. Daniel and Makoto raised their voices in an effort to subdue Liam.
Thomas’s hand wrapped around my arm when I turned to go back. “Shh, now. He will be fine. They have him.”
I didn’t resist as Thomas led me away, knowing he was right. We didn’t go far, entering a room I suspected belonged to Joseph. In one corner was a desk with glass beakers like you’d see in a chemistry lab. The walls were a rich navy color that should have felt oppressive but instead looked opulent.
“How did Liam get into that state? You two were supposed to be pursuing a lead. Not risking your lives,” Thomas said unhappily
“We were. At least fifteen hunters ambushed us. They had a sniper, which was how they got Liam. We were lucky to get away. If the harpies hadn’t intervened, one or both of us would be dead.”
Saying all that out loud made me realize just how close it had been. I steeled myself against the aftershock of fear that a brush with death always brought.
“Did you learn anything?”
I nodded, telling him what the harpies had told me. About how Dominick and his vampires had been here longer than they’d led us to believe. About how the harpies had seen the vampire and hunter working together to place a bomb under my car. Everything he needed to connect Dominick with the hunters infesting the city.
“Well done, Aileen,” Thomas said as the sounds of Nathan’s arrival came from the hallway. He looked over as Nathan entered the room. “That might protect us if the council decides to involve themselves.”
“Might?” I asked. “We have eyewitness testimony that Dominick’s vampire conspired with a hunter. Shouldn’t that be enough to kick him out of this territory?”
Thomas watched me with a steady gaze.
“You don’t want to make him leave,” I said in realization.
A faint smile touched Thomas’s lips. “This battle has been brewing for a long time. I’m not willing to let this opportunity pass from my hands.”
I looked from Thomas to Nathan in wordless disbelief. The enforcer didn’t appear surprised by Thomas’s statement. His expression accepting as he met my gaze.
“Does this have anything to do with your sire being in play?” I asked.
Thomas’s face hardened as he remained leaning against a corner of the desk. “Knowing Dominick and his master have targeted my sire makes me want to rip them apart with my bare hands, but that’s not my sole reason for letting this situation play out.”
Thomas pushed off the desk, his passage slow and steady as he crossed the room to me. “They targeted you. They shot my brother. Dominick and his people won’t leave this city alive.”
I held very still, conscious of the predator in front of me.
Thomas’s gaze didn’t leave mine as he spoke to the enforcer behind him. “What is it, Nathan?”
“There’s something you ought to know. A couple of harpies dropped off some hunters on our way back. They said Aileen would know what to do with them.”
Thomas lifted an eyebrow at me. “Friends of yours?”
I tugged on my ear. “I had Natalia and her sisters collect any hunters still living. I thought we could interrogate them to see what else they have planned.”
